Detective Steve Leonard, Hawke’s Bay Criminal Investigations Branch:

A night-long crime spree across Hawke’s Bay was unravelled by two boys’ desire for lollies.

Between midnight and 8.45am on 15 July, the 13 and 14-year-old allegedly stole eight vehicles, tried to steal four others, committed a burglary and an aggravated robbery. The marathon sprawled from Napier to Hawke’s Bay, leaving a trail of victims and damaged vehicles.

But it was a craving for sweets that led to their downfall at Te Awanga’s 4 Square, at 10am.

There, a Senior Constable spotted the stolen car used during an aggravated robbery two hours earlier, when a worker at an Onekawa dairy was threatened with a tyre iron. As the terrified woman tried to hide in a cupboard, the offenders grabbed tobacco products, ice creams, lollies and a cash drawer, then fled.

The pair are due to reappear in the Napier Youth Court on 1 August. They face a number of charges stemming from the events on 15 July, while one also faces other charges relating to events in May and June.

While the arrests are positive, we’re dismayed at the number of people who have become victims within a matter of hours. The trauma of being threatened while doing your job is unacceptable, and for some people, the loss of a car can have a profound impact on the life of them and their family.

This type of offending creates widespread harm in our communities, and we will continue to tackle it head-on.

We would like to remind the public to contact Police as soon as possible if you see suspicious or illegal behaviour. Call 111 if it’s happening now, or 105 if it’s after the fact.

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